


Chocolate (and Gunpowder)

by TheCarrot



Category: Triple Frontier (2019)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Flirting through food, Food, Getting Together, M/M, Santiago is a sap, Soft Will, Team as Family, The way to a mans heart is through his stomach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 14:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30107553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCarrot/pseuds/TheCarrot
Summary: 5 times Santiago remembers Will’s favourite food, and one time he makes it.
Relationships: Santiago "Pope" Garcia/William "Ironhead" Miller
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10





	Chocolate (and Gunpowder)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mssrj_335](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mssrj_335/gifts).



> For Jo who's prompt from Tumblr was “You remembered my favourite food.”
> 
> Now I'm off to do more cutesy sleep fluff with the boys! I can't wait!

#1

**pistachio muffins and coffee**

Will doesn’t expect there to be anything left of the box of muffins the guys went to pick up while he was stuck in the officers meeting. At least, nothing left of the good kind of muffins anyways. 

And sure enough, by the time he rejoins Redfly and the rest of his team in the break room, the box from the artisan bakery down the street is completely devoid of muffins (save for the single oat and banana muffin, will grimaces) and the take-away coffee carafe is empty. Ironhead resigns himself to the awful chicory substitute that the base here stores and whatever kind of cracker he can scrounge up from the depths of the cupboard that he’s sure is left over from the civil war.

His stomach rumbles unhappily. Had been far too busy for supper last night, let alone breakfast this morning and it’s pushing well past lunch.

“Hey,” A voice to his side greets him, and Will looks up to see Pope coming up beside him. “How was the meeting?”

Will grimaces and rubs his hand on his fatigues. Tries to hide the small marks his nails had made in his palms in an attempt to stop from calling his XO out on his bullshit. “Long.” He muses.

Santiago nods and holds up his hand, showing Will the paper cup and the small brown bag in his hands. “Maybe this will help?”

Blue eyes widen as he takes the coffee, a real coffee Will notes. Can smell the almond milk substitute they use at the bakery that Will fell in love with when they first arrived wafting out of the paper cup. He takes the coffee, inhaling it reverently even as the bag is forced into his other hand. 

“I’m telling you, I'm going to start force feeding you real food if you don’t learn to eat real meals.” Santiago shakes his head. “Anyways, Commander Kun wants to see us as soon as you’re done, but she likes you so take your time.”

And with that, Santiago disappears back towards Frankie. Leaves Will alone, holding a coffee sweetened perfectly to his tastes and a pastry bag that, when he looks inside, contains his favourite Pistachio muffin from the bakery. 

Ironhead grins down at the muffin in surprise and delight. Shakes his head at Pope. Why would he ever eat real food when his friends bring him awesome things like this?

\--

#2

**tomatoes**

A few times does not a habit, make; but Will’s starting to think that maybe Pope’s been paying a lot closer attention to his team’s eating habits than anyone else has ever bothered too before. Said team included.

Because when he, Benny, Pope and Redly are at a diner in town and Will pulls the bun off his hamburger; the only thing he can do is sigh. Yet before Will even gets the chance to grab his fork and peel off the offending circle of red vegetable attached to the top of his burger, there’s a set of tan fingers snagging the bun out of his hand. 

Will startles turning to watch Santiago next to him, but Pope never breaks stride in his conversation with Tom as he swaps the top of his tomato free, mozzarella burger for the crime that was happening on Will’s own plate. The blond having been too preoccupied in messing with his brother about the flirty looks the waitress had been giving the younger man to remember to ask for no tomato on his food. 

Still, Will can’t help poking at his own, now mouth-hurt-free burger with a caution he usually reserved for IED’s and PTA moms. The feeling fades entirely when he notices the extra pickles that have come with Santiago’s traded bun. They make Will’s eyebrows go up in surprise and glee at the same time. 

Dill pickle chips are his favourite and the bite he takes of his burger then is proof of that and Will sighs in contentment. It’s fucking delicious. 

Across the table Benny tries to hide a knowing smirk into his milkshake and just the sight of that mischievous expression on his brother's face makes Ironhead’s boot instinctively collide with Benny’s shin. Digs happily into his burger over the sound of his brothers yelp once more as Pope and Tom turn to look at the two.

Whatever, Will muses with a shrug and does his best to put Benny’s look from his mind. At least someone at the table is willing to eat his tomatoes for him.

Benny and Tom exchange glances across the table and shake their heads in unison, leaving Santiago looking between them in confusion. 

\--

#3

**mars bars and popcorn**

Will’s not at all surprised when the half empty bag of popcorn lands on his lap. He's got his feet propped up on the theatre chair in front of his seat, and the opening credits of The Empire Strikes Back have just started scrolling up the screen when he suddenly finds the greasy paper bag deposited into his hands. Blue eyes flit over to his brother, where Benny is sitting on his left with his eyes glued to the screen even as he wipes his hands on a wad of napkins. 

Benny’s hands are free of popcorn he’d ordered and Will knows his brother won’t eat another bite of it, despite the fact the bag is still half full. All the kernels he’s slathered with the fake butter have been eaten and now that’s apparently Will’s problem. 

As always.

Ironhead sighs as before him the probe lands on Hoth and he dutifully tucks in the corners of the greasy paper bag. Resigns himself to holding the popcorn for the rest of the movie. Only the bag is suddenly plucked out of his hands and replaced with a much smaller, plastic bag and Will’s gaze shoots away from Mark Hamill’s stupidly handsome face, to Santiago, then down to his hands. 

There’s an unopened bag of mini Mars bars now sitting in his grasp and Will blinks at the mini chocolate bars in confusion. Glances back to his friend but Santiago merely starts to unroll Benny’s bag of popcorn and proceeds to pop it into his mouth. Will can’t help but frown in confusion. Stares at the bag again. Mars bars just happen to be Will's favourite but he knows without a doubt that Pope hates caramel. Wonders why Santiago would even bother to buy a candy bar he doesn’t like, instead of the popcorn Will knows he loves. 

He tears open the first small wrapper and pops the entire piece into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Was it so they didn’t waste the stuff Benny never finishes?

“Thanks,” Will finally ends up whispering, grinning at the other man and wonders if his eyes are playing tricks on him when he sees the red climbing up the back of Santiago’s neck. 

However Pope just rolls his eyes and shushes the blond in reply.

It takes a few minutes for Will to look away from the man next to him, but he files the occurrence in the back of his mind with a steadily growing number of events just like it. Wonders if he can pick out a pattern.

\--

#4

**steak and brussel sprouts**

Will knocks on the front door. Partly because it’s polite, partly also because he enjoys the way Fish and Isabella both roll their eyes at him. Mostly he does it because it usually gives their kids a chance to come running to their Uncle Will before anyone else. But today he can already hear the noise out in the backyard and Will is just about to step away and go around the side, when the door swings open anyways. 

Pope stands there with an apron on, tongs in his hand and some sort of look eases in his dark eyes. “Oh hey, man, you’re late,” is all he says though as he beckons Ironhead into the house.

And yes, Will knows he’s late. His current (re: soon to be ex if his mood doesn’t improve by the end of the night) girlfriend had made sure he would be. Will had all but stormed out of their apartment in anger when she told him she didn’t want him to go to the team barbecue. She had sprouted off some bullshit about her not liking the others, and especially Santiago, but Will can’t recall her exact words. Was too busy trying to keep his temper in check so he wouldn’t upend the table in their kitchen at her audacity. 

Figure’s he’s in for a ‘relationship talk’ when he gets back to his apartment.

If she’s even still there. 

Secretly Will hopes she won’t be.

“Stopped for whiskey.” Ironhead holds up the small paper bag. Sees Pope’s face light up with a smile in a way that makes Wills lips follow suit automatically. As it always does these days. 

“Great!” Brown eyes sparkle in amusement and Santiago claps him on the shoulder before dragging Will through Frankie's house. “Benny’s already in the blow up pool with the kids. Tom’s watching the grill while I came inside to get the last of the sides.” He grabs the two bowls left out on the counter.

Will snorts and grabs a few extra plastic cups from the cupboard before following Pope out into the backyard, opening the door for the shorter man whose hands are now full. 

It doesn’t take long for Will to throw back a shot with Santiago and Redfly as the two men trade off duties, and then another one with Fish and Isabella, then another two with his brother who is sitting in the small pool, splashing with Frankie’s and Tom’s kids.

So Will is plenty relaxed by the time Fish is setting down a plate in front of him. It’s ladened down with so much food; pasta salad, regular salad, potatoes, potato salad even! Green beans, grilled eggplant and much to Wills chagrin, roasted brussel sprouts. 

Yet, somehow, before he can even ask if anyone would like some of his sides, Will’s plate is being slid out from before him. Ironhead watches as Pope hands his plate back to Frankie with an exchange in rapid Spanish. The next thing Will knows Santiago is falling into the seat across from him and is giving Will a different plate. This one sans Brussel sprouts and sans potato salad and with a wonderful looking steak covering the rest of the surface.

The blond stares at the plate in surprise for another moment, even as Pope starts passing out the steaks he’d finished up, while Tom’s wife hands out the pieces of chicken. Tom really never skips when it comes to the meat at these things, Will muses. Yet just by looking at his own striploin, Will can tell that the meat on his plate is done perfectly.

Not too rare, not overcooked. 

Just the way he likes it.

“You always remember my favourite foods.” Will states as Santiago finally sits back on the picnic table, ready to dig into his own food. Ironhead munches on the end of one of his green beans as he takes in the dark haired man across from him. Several things finally click into place in his head. He’s had signs through the years of course, a rather large number of them really, but none so obvious as this one. Number 43 he recalls.

“Yeah, well,” Santiago uses his plastic fork to fling a Brussel sprout off his plate and onto Will in retribution for calling him out on the special treatment . “Food’s important. So shut up and eat.” 

Important huh? So important to Santiago apparently, that Will not get something he doesn’t like to eat, that the shorter man hadn’t bothered to take off the red and pink apron that is clearly Frankie’s wife and Will... well; damn. He takes a chance. Hooks his foot with Popes under the picnic table just as the sky rolls overhead with darkening clouds that threaten to take over their backyard barbecue and drive them inside into the close quarters of Frankies’ kitchen.

Will feels Santiago startle, watches him bite down hard on his fork as the rosemary baby potato that had been on it falls back to his plate. Tries and fails not to notice the red creeping up his cheeks at the action. Laughs, bright and open and pops the Brussel sprout Santiago had flung at him into his mouth. Oddly, this one tastes better than any other one he’s ever eaten. “We should go to dinner.”

Brown eyes shoot to blue in confusion. Santiago staring at Will like he’s never seen him. “We’re eating dinner?”

“No, dinner, just the two of us.” 

“Like a date?” Pope hedges carefully. 

Will grins. “Yeah.” Fucking hell yes.

The same emotion that had crossed Santiago’s face upon seeing Will in the doorway earlier, goes across his face again. Something like relief, so strong that it shines through in Santiago’s eyes… Something also like hope and happiness and Will feels his stomach flip over. And it’s not even because of the brussel sprout this time. 

“Y-Yeah, I- that’d be fucking awesome.” Pope grins back.

“Fucking finally.” Isabella states plopping a plate of Elotes between them making the two boys spring apart. “Francisco and I love you both dearly but you two are slower moving idiots than anyone I’ve ever known.”

Frankie cracks up and almost falls off the end of the seat when Pope pushes him in embarrassment. 

Will just grins and leaves his foot right where it is.

\--

#5

**chocolate cake**

Will stares down at the cardboard box on the counter of his and Pope’s apartment. It’s addressed to him on a small card attached to the ribbon, in a scrawl he swears belongs to Pope but can’t be a hundred percent sure for how uncharacteristically messy it is. Can make out the Happy Birthday Will, but not much else. “What’s this?” 

Benny, who had decided to ‘pop over’ that morning, in a way that had nothing to do with Pope’s departure before Will was even out of bed; merely shrugs. But the younger man sets his chin down on the counter to get as close to the box as possible without touching it. Knows how his brother gets about his sweets. “No idea? Now hurry up and open it.” 

Blue eyes roll but Will does grab a knife out of the block on the counter to cut the purple ribbon holding the box closed. Lifts up the lid and feels his jaw drop when he sees the masterpiece of a cake inside. 

Chocolate icing is almost fully hidden beneath the drips of dark chocolate ganache that cascade down the side of the cake and cover the top. There’s large florets of chocolate icing and partially covered raspberries on top and Will feels the way he is practically salivating at the sight of it. Can smell the rich, dark chocolate. 

“Holy shit man,” Benny mutters, scrambling across the kitchen for the cupboard where he knows Santiago keeps the plates. “I want the biggest piece you’ll give me of that.” Gives his brother the best puppy dog eyes he can muster when Will stares at him unimpressed. 

“Back off, It’s my goddamn birthday cake.” Benny pouts and Ironhead holds up the knife in his hands mock threateningly, but regardless, Will moves a second later to pull apart the box’s sides so he can start cutting into the cake. He’s too excited to taste the first real birthday cake he’s had in years to fake any pretence that they aren’t going to end up with slices that will more resemble a quarter of the cake.

“Where’d you even get a cake like this so late?” Will asks, giving Benny the first slice.

Blue eyes, so like his own, glance up in confusion even as Benny turns to head to the freezer for the ice cream. “Uh, I didn’t buy it?”

“What?” The blond frowns, even as he drags an overly large slice of cake out and deposits it on his own plate. He’s surprised to see the red seeds in-between the three layers of chocolate cake. “Holy shit ... is that raspberry?” 

It is raspberry, Ironhead notes as he scraps the side of the knife off on his finger and pops it into his mouth. Rich chocolate coats his tongue and tart raspberry quickly follows it. 

Holy fuck, it’s delicious. 

Benny plops the ice cream down onto the counter and grabs the tag attached to the ribbon as Will wipes the rest of the icing off on the side of his plate. Not willing to waste any of it. “I thought it was Pope’s writing, but it’s too messy.” 

Will raises an eyebrow and uses the knife to scrape more icing off the bottom of the cake plate that hadn’t come up with his slice. Savours the flavours dancing across his tongue in every way he loves. Raspberry and chocolate, his favourites... oh. Yeah. Duh.

Will knows who the cake is from. 

“It’s from Pope.” He chuckles, licking the flat side of the knife and pulling his cell from his pocket. Snaps a pic on his phone of his slice and sends it off. Wishes all the more fervently that Pope hadn’t been called away last minute to work so that he could be here with Will now. So Santiago had been there when Will woke up in the morning, instead of the cold sheets on the other side of the bed he had gotten. 

“How can you tell?” Benny asks around a mouthful of cake, eyes sliding closed as the chocolate hits him. “Fuckkk that is good!”

Will isn’t sure he wants to tell. Isn’t sure he could. How can he even begin to explain Pope’s strange propensity to surprise him at every turn. Ironhead shakes his head instead, leave it to Pope to somehow get a cake into their apartment without Will even knowing about it.

He’s never even told Santiago when his birthday was.

But Pope always seems to know. No matter what. Foods that Will’s said he doesn’t like or would never eat. Santiago’s always trading them out for him. And apparently is now memorizing Will’s favourites too. 

‘Where’d you get the cake?’ Will types with one hand as he pops a half covered chocolate raspberry into his mouth. Benny’s already halfway done his slice and Will has no doubt they’ll both be going for seconds within a few minutes. Screw going for their traditional birthday breakfast.

‘Karat Kafe down the street.’ Pope types back, three dots reappearing but Will can’t help how he replies first. 

‘It’s amazing, txs babe.’ 

The text bubble goes away, then comes back and the blond can’t help the way his fork almost falls from his lips at the next text. 

‘Welcome, next year I’ll make you one even better thou’

Fuck, Pope wants to make him a goddamn birthday cake. His heart soars inside his chest and Will doesn’t even care that he’s staring at his phone with an idiotic smile on his face. Pope figured out his birthday; wants to celebrate it with him next year too. He had even remembered the description of the cake Will always seemed to be craving.

His boyfriend is officially a sap.

Ironhead presses the green button on his screen, because if Pope’s still texting that means he’s not in the air yet. 

Across from him Benny smirks at his brother around a mouthful of cake and digs out another scoop of ice cream. 

Will doesn’t say anything against it. Just lets his brother cut himself another slice for himself and holds out his plate for more as well just as Pope picks up the other line. 

“I hope you don’t expect there to be any of this cake left by the time you get home.” Will greets. 

Pope’s laughter rings clear across the line and Will can’t help grinning at the sound. That bright amusement he never thought he’d get to keep for himself. “Not at all, just make sure you eat real food today too okay?”

“No promises.”

Despite his words however, when he and Benny are done with their second slices, Will cuts another piece and wraps it to put in the freezer. A bit for himself and Pope to share when the shorter man gets home from his consulting trip. 

Dutifully ignores the ‘whipping’ motion Benny gives him behind his back and licks the taste of raspberry and chocolate from his lips. 

Can’t wait for whatever kind of cake Santiago makes him next year.

\--

+1

**homemade bread**

Will wakes up to a smell he hasn’t smelled in a long time. It’s not the usual coffee that kicks him out of sleep on the rare days Popes out of bed before him. Those aren’t usually good days anyways.

But now, the scent wafts to him, seems to permeate their entire apartment as Will crawls out of bed and into the grey sweater that he’s pretty sure is actually Pope’s. Wanders down the hall still half asleep and something warm curls up into the centre of his chest when the smell gets stronger the closer he gets to the kitchen. 

The sight that greets him is exactly what he expected... yet at the same time, completely unexpected. 

“Did you make bread?” Ironhead frowns from the doorway, staring at the back of Santiago’s head where the other man is sitting at their small kitchen table; coffee in hand and doing his crossword puzzle. Bear is curled up in Will’s usual chair, sleeping the post-breakfast nap every cat is entitled to.

“Yeah,” Pope doesn’t even look up, just turns his cheek for the kiss Will drops on him as he passes by before going back to his puzzle. “It’s still too hot to eat though.”

“Mhmmhm.” Will hums under his breath, already sliding the knife out of the block on the counter and barely pauses before starting to cut into the still steaming loaf of bread on the wire rack. The crust flakes under the blade, and the smell of warm buttery bread wafts up to him, making Will want to drool all over the bread.

“Hey!” 

Ironhead rolls his eyes, shaking his hand that had been holding the bread still. Santiago hadn’t been kidding about the ‘hot’ part, just the ‘too’. “You can’t make fucking bread Pope and then expect me to wait.” 

An unimpressed glare is Ironhead’s only reply so the blond turns back to the loaf and finally gets a large slice chunk cut off for himself. Shoves a corner into his mouth, rolling it around and hissing as it burns the roof of his mouth. Breathes out again and again until it’s a little bit cooler and moans lewdly as he slouches against the counter. Quiet content to never move again as long as the bread doesn’t run out. 

“No wonder my dad asks if I'm starving you,” Santiago sighs, watching the spectacle that is Will Miller and any baked good. “When you eat like that.”

Will raises an eyebrow over at the other man, only half listening as he passes the hot piece of bread back and forth between different fingertips to keep from burning himself too badly.

“At least get a plate.”

“It’ll get soggy.” Will refuses, ripping off a piece to blow on it before popping it into his mouth regardless. Almost lets his eyes slip closed at the taste of freshly baked, homemade bread. Something he hasn’t had in years.

Santiago shakes his head, but can’t help the fond smile he gives the blond. “There’s butter in the cupboard.”

“Did you make that too?”

“No.” Brown eyes narrow even as a flush crawls up the back of Santiago’s neck. “I made the peach jam in the fridge though.”

Will’s eyes light up and he shoves his piece of bread into his mouth and darts towards their refrigerator with glee. Not before pausing just long enough to swoop down and press a kiss to Santiago’s stubble rough cheek. “I love you.” 

“I know, now please stop burning yourself and get a plate!”


End file.
